How will the Energy Bill affect consumers?

Posted onDecember 4, 2012byCharlotte

On the 29th November Energy Secretary Ed Davey delivered a statement to the House of Commons announcing the publication of the much-anticipated Energy Bill. The bill includes a lot of legislation reducing carbon emissions across the UK economy, but what does it mean for you?

The most immediate change for consumers is to energy bills – under the Energy Bill energy companies can triple the annual levy they currently charge customers to pay for their low-carbon energy development. This means that the levy will increase on average by £20 next year, with the expected 2020 levy being £80 higher than the current amount.

On first glance this seems concerning, particularly in the face of rising energy costs. However, the government are saying that without this payment we’d be paying £94 rather than £80 due to further energy price rises, so it seems that we’re spending more money either way.

However, it is possible to offset this increase and then some if you take advantage of the energy saving opportunities around your house. From smaller installations such as draught proofing and insulation that save you around a hundred pounds a year to a biomass boiler that can save £500, it is likely that there will be at least one solution that could save you money. Added to this, there are a host of schemes such as the Renewable Heat Premium Payments and Feed-In Tariff that pay you for using your technology, effectively paying for the improvement and making you a profit, with technologies such as solar PV offering incomes of hundreds of pounds per year. Our service takes the hassle out of finding a qualified tradesman for your energy saving installation – why not use our assessment tool today and find out how much you could save?